Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Full Moon Wo Sagashite Fan Fiction ❯ Give a Reason (Full Moon wo Sagashite Style) ❯ Chapter Two: Sakurai Eichi ( Chapter 2 )

Author Notes: Sorry it took forever to get the next chapter of this out... Call me lazy if you like ^^; or you can spend that same amount of time thanking 'Angel-Goddess' her birthday is coming up and this is what she wanted updated. Now I'm going to warn you, there's some pretty big spoilers in this story that can take away some of the emotional roller coaster the Full Moon series is...

Myst Lady: As many as come to mind... I rarely watch a series to try to create a GaR. Just an idea pops into my mind and I have to write it ^^;; and yes, if other people want to do GaR's for the other senshi they're welcome to, though I'm not sure if keeping the GaR name would help them much?

SA2-mouto-chan: Well... no, Usagi is a shinigami and if she regains her memories she'll turn into a ghost... not exactly something that would be a good thing.

Allyna: Well for the series I recommend doing a search for it on google... and if you have BitTorrent you can download it right away and enjoy. For the manga... I have a link
http://www.fullmoon.prv.pl/ don't be fooled by the look of the page, the manga *is* in English.

Fluence: Ack! I didn't even catch that I was doing that! I'll try to stop explaining *everything* about a scene so that author deity thing doesn't kick in ^^;; thanks for catching that though. As for why... well for the full story you can read the prologue from the original GaR, or I could just tell you. Usagi had attained immortality in her world and all of her loved ones died from old age. She tried to follow but couldn't manage to kill herself. In desperation she asked for help from the Ginzuishou and it managed to help her finish the job. But because she used it to commit suicide she got the same judgment as if she had succeeded in her earlier attempts. Hope that helped and I didn't ramble too long.

To the Izumi lovers...: Kya! Isn't he the coolest?

Small note: The chief? Well he isn't a *real* character in the FM universe. He exists but we only hear of him, we never see him. So his personality, looks and such are only what I imagine him to be like.

***

Chapter Two: Sakurai Eichi

It was a small two lane country road that curved around the mountainside. Despite the two lanes it would be impossible to actually fit two cars together at the same time on the small strip. It had rained earlier in the day and because of the cold weather it hadn't taken long for it to turn into a frozen sheet of ice virtually invisible on the pass.

"Why are we here?" Usagi demanded as she eyed the sheet of ice in trepidation. Were they going to kill the target their self? She would have been prepared if it was someone dying from old age. She could handle that, or at least that's what she told herself. But they had to actually cause an accident? It sent a shiver down her spine. "Izumi-sempai," she whimpered as she heard the unmistakable sound of a car approaching.

"Relax, U-chan," Izumi whispered as his eyes focused on the small car that climbed the pass. Good, they were on time. He had used his powers to add to the sheet of ice. He didn't trust mere nature to take care of his job. The headlights of the car appeared over one of the curves and their light bathed the area in sickly glow. Izumi snapped his fingers as soon as the car crossed onto the icy terrain. A loud squeal erupted from the vehicle as a tire blew and the occupants of the vehicle vainly tried to keep the car on the road.

Usagi watched in wide-eyed horror as the hands on the wheel flew up to shield their owner's face as the car swerved out of control and into a small guard rail. She breathed a sigh of relief and started to snap her own fingers in an attempt to save them when she heard a long drawn out wail of a horn. Startled she turned towards the source of the noise and watched stunned as a semi truck slammed into the family car. She watched in stunned horror as the car toppled off the side of the mountain and landed in a fiery wreck at the base of it. She was so distracted by the spectacle she didn't notice the semi truck vanish without a trace. "No..."

Izumi glanced at his companion as she paled and rolled his eyes. "Come, we must go collect our target's soul." He summoned a small cage in his hand and watched as the girl tried to take a breath. "Will you let him suffer in pain without the bliss of death?" he questioned and saw a light of resolve kindle to life in her eyes.

Usagi tried not to think about her part in the accident and flew down to the smoking wreck. Izumi was already pulling two other souls into the cage and she frowned at him in confusion. "I thought we only had one target? Was there an entire family here?" she demanded as she finally landed by the remains of the car. She opened the backdoor to the car and winced as she saw the boy strapped in the burning wreckage. "Gomen," she whispered as she focused her power and her palm started to glow green.

Eichi turned towards the pale flickering light as he fought to remain conscious. There was a fuzzy outline of a girl holding some sort of bow. For a moment the fuzzy features were replaced by someone else's. "Mitsuki..." but as soon as he said the words the vision cleared and he saw a blonde girl crying as she pulled the taunt string of a bow backwards. No, that wasn't his Mitsuki. As a shudder coursed through his body he closed his eyes in pain and never opened them again.

Usagi watched as the soul started to float towards the cage that Izumi still held. Biting her lip she turned away from the accident scene and let the tears fall. "I can't do this, Izumi-sempai. I can't kill people." Usagi's eyes suddenly widened as she remembered the name whispered. "Mitsuki?" she whispered and watched as the advancing soul suddenly stopped. "Did he mean the same Mitsuki who Takuto-san and Meroko-san are going to kill?"

With a small pop the small cloud that had once been a soul turned into the full figure of the boy that had been killed. "Someone is going to kill Mitsuki?" he demanded as he whirled on a startled Usagi. "I won't let either of you touch her..." he whispered as he clenched his fist. He didn't seem to care in the least that he was now a semitransparent ghost.

Izumi was scowling. It was rare for a soul to resist the lure of the cage. Even rarer for them to turn into ghost form by their self, "don't be foolish," he whispered and watched as those furious eyes focused on him. "If you refuse to come with us peacefully you'll be doomed to wander forever as a mere ghost. When Mi-ki dies you won't be able to follow. Do you really want separated from her so badly?"

Eichi thought this over only for a moment. "I don't care what happens to me... I won't let you kill Mitsuki." He was aware that he could be wrong. Perhaps they were talking about another Mitsuki, but somewhere deep in his heart he knew they were talking about his sweet singer. "I'll do anything to keep you away from her."

Usagi realized that she had screwed up. Because of her question, the target was refusing to join them. She glanced uneasily at Izumi as she tried to figure out how she could make this right. "We're not going to kill your Mitsuki," she finally managed to whisper and watched as those eyes settled on her. Ghost or not she could still see the intensity in his hazel gaze. "It's her throat... she's going to lose her life because of the cancer in her throat."

Izumi's eyes narrowed more. "U-chan," he interrupted his voice gaining a sharp edge in a reprimand. "Don't say another word." His caution was heeded as the girl fell silent and stared down at the ground. Satisfied with his trainee's demeanor he turned back to the ghost. "This is your last chance. Join with your family in heaven or... be a ghost forever and never be able to join them again."

Eichi studied the two drastically different spirits. He wasn't sure what they were. If it been only the girl he would of thought of angels, but if it had been the guy he'd think a demon was dragging him to the gates of hell. Could they be grim reapers? No wait... what was their name back in his homeland? Shinigami... They were shinigami. "I'll sacrifice anything to keep her safe."

"U-chan," Izumi snapped and watched as the girl jerked to attention. "I have to deliver these to the Chief. You can stay here until I return but when I come back we're leaving," he glanced at the ghost, "without him."

Usagi nodded and watched as Izumi snapped his fingers and vanished from sight. She was left with the now solemn ghost who was staring at the wreckage. "Let's move away from here," she suggested and turned her back on the scene and wandered deeper into the woods. When she felt they were far enough away from the sights and smells of the accident she let herself slump to the ground. She hadn't been prepared to do such a thing to anyone. Being a shinigami was a punishment, there was no doubt about that now. She didn't remember much about her former life, just that she had killed herself. Whatever had happened in the past... was it really worth this punishment that would last for eternity?

Eichi noticed the grieving of the shinigami and studied her in confusion. He had made his choice to follow this pair to wherever they might lead if it meant finding his Mitsuki again. He was determined to do whatever it took to make sure she lived a long happy life. A simple smile from her was worth his life. But why was this shinigami grieving? And who was she grieving for? "Are you alright?" he approached her carefully in case this was all a farce to trick him back to that cage.

Usagi glanced up at his questioning voice and paled as she realized she was crying. She tried to wipe the tears away but they kept flowing. "I... I didn't want to kill anyone," she finally answered as she chanced a glance at the ghost. "I helped kill your family... I told you about Mitsuki-san and ruined your chances to go to heaven." She sniffed at the thought and finally took a shaky breath. "I'll try to help you see Mitsuki-san but..." she trailed off and glanced around to make sure Izumi wasn't around. "I don't know what can be done to save her... if anything. It's her destiny to die soon. She has another shinigami pair following her. They're helping her live out her dream."

Eichi shook his head at her reasoning. "No, it's not just her throat. I saw you and your partner. My family didn't die until you took their souls. Mitsuki won't die if her soul remains in her body. I won't let anyone take her life from her." He turned his vision upwards and studied the sky. It would be dark soon and there was no sign of the moon. He had grown to hate these types of nights. He wanted to see the moon always.

Usagi leaned against a nearby tree as she watched her companion sink into a sea of thoughts. She wanted to help him. Something inside of her told her that she was someone that helped others. She protected them and defended them... She wasn't meant to hurt them. She didn't try to focus too much on the odd feeling she just heeded its advice. She would try to help this boy. "Did you know Mitsuki-san is an idol singer?" she questioned as she decided to prod the boy from his depressing thoughts.

That caught his attention. He whirled towards her his eyes brightening to an almond color. "Is that true? How is that..." he trailed off as he remembered one of her earlier comments. "The shinigami following her... they're helping her?" his smile vanished as he pondered it. It just didn't make sense. Why would a shinigami help Mitsuki? "They're killing her!" he whispered horrified as he imagined his Mitsuki standing on stage and singing while the tumor in her throat grew. "That's too cruel..."

Usagi was up in an instant and frantically waving her hands in a signal that he was wrong. "No!" she interrupted his upcoming tirade. "That's not true! When Mitsuki-san sings she's not in her body... She's in the body of a sixteen year old named Full Moon who is perfectly healthy. It doesn't hurt her at all. I promise you that they're not doing such a horrible thing."

Eichi thought about all of the stories he had heard about shinigami. How they were cruel and merciless. How they would lie to crying children and cut those precious lives short. But... even as he thought all these things as he stared at the frantic girl he couldn't quite bring himself to believe she was lying. In fact... he believed her. She would probably be his only ally in saving his Mitsuki.

**

A scream tore from a ravaged throat and Mitsuki trembled as she sobbed uncontrollably. Both of her friends had woken at the scream and tried to tend to the hysteric girl. Her throat burned like wildfire from the scream that had erupted but even worse, she felt as if all the happiness in the world had suddenly blinked out of existence.

"Mitsuki!" Takuto tried to snap the girl out of it but all she could do was sob. His eyes widened in horror as she started to gasp in pain and hold her throat while still drowning both him and the worried Meroko in tears. "Meroko, take care of the rest of the house before she wakes them up," he hissed as he snapped his fingers and summoned a glass of water. "Here, drink this," he tried to persuade as those glazed frightened eyes focused on him.

Mitsuki nodded but couldn't stop her trembling so was forced to drink as Takuto held it to her lips. By the time Meroko had returned from casting a spell on the others, Mitsuki's tears had finally slowed and she was hugging her pillow as she shook like a leaf. "Takuto...Meroko," she whispered as a soft smile of thanks appeared on her young face.

"What's wrong, Mitsuki?" Meroko questioned and was relieved to see that the haunted expression had vanished from those clear brown eyes. "What happened? Does your throat hurt that badly?"

Mitsuki shook her head as she hugged the pillow close and tried to remember what had woken her up. "I think I was dreaming..." she frowned and eyed the two warily. "It wasn't even a nightmare but... I was in this car up on this pretty mountain. I remember a loud popping sound and the car kind of swerved but it was back under control really quickly... then I saw this girl that kind of looked like Full Moon but only with blue eyes instead of brown. Something else happened after that but I don't remember." She flushed and let her eyes fall. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Takuto, Meroko."

Both shinigami tended to the girl but were still sitting up and disturbed long after the child succumbed to sleep. "Takuto... what do you think happened?" Meroko questioned as she watched Mitsuki slumber. She noticed the covers working their way off Mitsuki's shoulders and the shiver this produced. She reached down and tucked them around the sleeping figure before turning to her partner. "One of us should go check in with the chief. There might be more shinigami after her." Meroko had heard stories about some of the less gentle shinigami that tortured their targets in their sleep and stole every restful moment from them. By the time the day finally came for those poor souls all of the victims were all too willing to let the darkness overtake them. It surprised her but she didn't want such a fate for Mitsuki.

"Un," Takuto agreed as he tried to erase the image of heartbroken shock from his mind. He too realized it couldn't have been a simple nightmare to torment Mitsuki so. "She's got a few days off from work... so I'll go check with the chief. Keep a close eye on her, Meroko," he advised before floating through the roof of the room and vanishing from sight.

Meroko sighed and brought out her worn handkerchief. It was a nervous habit of hers. One she hadn't been quite able to break herself from no matter how hard she tried. She was sure it was probably something she did before she died. Her teeth found the corner of one of the less chewed edges and her teeth worked the fabric as she worried about what was going to happen. She was jealous of Mitsuki, there was no doubt about that... Nevertheless, she didn't want the girl to suffer. She was her first case that she had grown attached to in a long while. 'Don't worry, Mitsuki, we'll do our best to protect you,' Meroko thought but didn't have the strength to say such a thing out loud. Instead, she merely watched over the girl until the morning light bathed the easily slumbering figure.

**

Izumi finished his business with the souls he had captured and glanced warily at his chief's door. Izumi wasn't scared, no; he was beyond that type of emotion. But he wasn't looking forward to telling his boss he had failed in a mission. It had been a long time since Izumi had failed in bringing back a targeted soul. Straightened to his full height he started to reach for the door when he heard another shinigami appearing close by. He quickly found a hiding spot where he could get a good view. The intruder surprised him. What was Takuto doing there?

If Takuto was aware of Izumi he didn't show it as he knocked on the door. His mind bore a vivid image of Mitsuki's heartbroken face. He wasn't sure if it was another shinigami's doing or something else, but he wasn't about to let anyone hurt her like that again. He'd do whatever it took to keep her happy.

The door opened as if beckoning the shinigami in and without looking back Takuto entered it. His boss was sitting behind an old oak desk with papers stacked as high as the ceiling on either side of the man. The papers swayed as if threatening to fall as they were gently shoved to the side so their owner could get a look to see which shinigami had visited him. To his disappointment it wasn't quite the one he wanted a word with yet. "Takuto, what are you doing here?"

Takuto eyed the swaying papers with a grimace. If only his boss would trust in technology and get a computer. The paper system had been in place for as long as he knew and the stacks never seemed to get smaller, only taller. In fact he could almost swear the ceiling had been raised to keep up with the flow. "I'm here to ask you a question about team Negi Ramen's case."

Violet eyes widened and the rest of the papers were shoved to the furthest ends of the desk so he could have a better view. "You mean Kouyama Mitsuki?" he had been rummaging through another stack of papers at his side and pulled the paper out on the girl. He brushed a stray white hair away from his eyes as he studied the shinigami closer. He had heard rumors that Negi Ramen was helping their case. If that turned out to be true he'd have to go down there himself and settle things. It was best if things didn't erode so much that they had to bring in the highest ranking shinigami.

Takuto nodded. His boss was an odd person. He had thought so before when he had been paired up with Meroko and named after a bowl of onion noodles. It was hard to think your boss was crazy when he looked so serious despite his physical age was the same as yours. "Are there any other shinigami following her? We suspect one of the others that control dreams has attacked her. She woke up in a panic today but couldn't remember anything remotely scary about her dream."

A long pause filled the air with silence as the chief glanced over the papers. He knew what had happened to the girl. Her string with her soul mate had been snipped. Though he didn't have the soul in his possession, his papers were of the magical sort. They updated themselves without any help. A necessity when he was in charge of so many souls. But something about the way this young shinigami almost seemed to challenge him in the way he stood... He couldn't give out this information if Takuto was starting to develop a bond with the case. Perhaps it was time for a check up visit... "No, we don't have anyone else on her case report. Perhaps it was just a nightmare, shinigami Takuto." His formal use of Takuto's title indicated the meeting was over.

Izumi waited until a scowling Takuto vanished before he entered the office. He was surprised to see the normal towers of paper had been shoved to the very edges of the desk. Such a thing was indication something had upset the chief. In fact... such things only happened before the chief started to follow shinigami around. That wasn't good. If he decided to follow Izumi and his trainee... things could get unbearably rough.

"Izumi-kun, how nice of you to join me," the man's eyes twinkled as he watched the cautious shinigami take a seat. "I've seen two of the souls you were sent out to retrieve return, but I don't see your main target. Where is Sakurai Eichi?"

Normally Izumi would have told the truth in this matter. He really would of. But there was one problem marring that ability. If he told that it was Usagi's fault that their client had learned of another shinigami's case, he would be fined for spying. Izumi wasn't about to be punished for keeping an eye on his Me-chan. "The target turned into a ghost and refuses to join his family. I suspect he has strong ties to someone else on earth."

A well toned eyebrow rose in surprise. "A mere mortal was able to withstand the call of the afterlife?" he queried as he frowned faintly. No, there had to be something else going on. If what Izumi was claiming was true that meant that it was one of the rare cases. But the rest of the story didn't add up. Such souls that could resist were usually known about before hand and were taken care of in a different manner. His eyes were sharp and he had to applaud Izumi for being completely still and not betraying any nervousness on his part. A truly wonderful shinigami who he would have to persuade to bring along on one of his poker nights. "I see, well there's nothing you can do about it, I suppose. Though I feel I should warn you that the boy's soul mate is another one of our clients... She's due to die soon and I don't want anything interfering with that. Keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't find his way to her."

"Understood," Izumi replied as he gracefully got to his feet. As good as he was at keeping his emotions controlled in careful situations, his superior was even better. He doubted the other believed his story but unless he got proof no punishment would fall his way. But there was something nagging at the back of his mind.

"Oh and, shinigami Izumi?" he smirked to himself as Izumi turned. "I'll be taking a trip to keep an eye on Negi Ramen's case for awhile. After I'm finished with them I'll likely tag along with you and your trainee. So behave yourself, ne?" he cautioned and laughed as Izumi snapped out of the room. It had been a long time since he had to trail shinigami teams. He was going to enjoy every minute of following those two teams.

**

Eichi found himself on a type of guard duty as his companion slept. He had been surprised that she had been so relaxed around him that she could just fall asleep. If he been the vengeful type he could have easily attempted to kill her, was it possible to kill a shinigami?

Usagi whimpered in her sleep. Flashes of memories assaulted her but these fleeting images of a great battle were lost by the time another set of memories struck her. "No," she whimpered as tears started to trail from closed eyelids. It would be better to either remember everything or not remember a single thing than be teased by these merciless tidbits. "Stop it!"

Eichi had been up at her first plea and had started to try to wake her when he realized she was awake and shaking. "Are you okay?" he had no hard feelings against this girl. She wasn't in charge. It was true that she had been helping the crueler shinigami, and it was true that she had been the one to take his own soul, but he didn't blame her for any of it.

"I'm fine," Usagi responded as she rubbed away her tears. "Was I dreaming?" the question was more for her than him as she puzzled over what could have brought her into tears. She couldn't remember anything but the thought that she was once important in some odd way. "I guess it was a nightmare," she decided with a forced smile as she turned to the watching ghost.

Eichi smiled in relief and was surprised about the feeling. It was a shock to realize he wanted to be friends with this girl. "Is Mitsuki happy?" the question had been on his mind ever since he had left her that day that seemed so long ago. If he had known then what he knew now he would of refused to go. He wouldn't have given up a single day with her. He had to know if she had found some sort of happiness.

The rising sun was starting to warm her skin and Usagi paused for a moment to soak in the rays. It was different being a shinigami... The warmth of the sun or a bitter chill didn't affect her as much as it once would have. Now it was the barest touches of warmth from a hot sunny day and there would have to be a blizzard before she could be chilled. "I think she is... She looked happy when she was singing in front of everyone and living out her dream."

"I see..." It was Eichi's turn to fall silent as he envisioned his Mitsuki as a mature sixteen year old. She'd be a lot closer to his age in that situation. Age didn't matter to him. He loved her no matter what but... He forced his mind off that destructive track. "Can I see her?"

"No," Izumi had returned and had caught the last part of the conversation. "You're not returning with us. His serious eyes turned to the frowning Usagi and he shook his head at her. He was in no mood to play her games right now. "No, U-chan," he interrupted before she could object. "He's staying here. He made his own decision not to follow his family. Now we have more clients to take care of. We don't have time to stand here and chat."

Usagi wilted at the scolding and winced as she glanced at Eichi. Was he paler than normal? Or did he look like that because he was a ghost? She wasn't sure but she forced herself to nod. She couldn't convince Izumi to allow Eichi to follow them. "Gomen," she apologized as she turned to follow Izumi out of the clearing.

The shocked and stunned Eichi couldn't force his legs to move as he watched the two walk off into the distance. If he couldn't follow them, he'd find his own way to Mitsuki's side. He remembered Usagi's words and finally got control back of his body. If the shinigami wouldn't help him, he'd help himself and find this Full Moon. A small smile tugged at his lips as he realized just how perfect the name was for her. Perhaps in some way she was trying to find him? The thought sent warm tingles through him and soft laughter bubbled out of him. He was startled at the sound and chuckled softly. It had been a long time since he had been this happy. . He was going to do whatever it took to find her. He'd walk on water, run through fire, even fly to the moon if that's what he had to do. He was going to prove how much she meant to him.

**

A rich black velvet cloak was clasped with a simple clasp as its wearer checked himself out in the mirror. Amused violet eyes studied the sweeping cloak and how it looked against the rest of his attire. Thankfully he didn't look like some villain out of a bad horror flick. In his opinion he looked like a dashing gentleman ready to duel with another over the hand of some fair damsel. Though the thought of an actual damsel set his teeth on edge, he didn't trust women or the idea of love. How humans fell in and out of it so often simply perplexed him.

He shut his old pocket watch with a click after he noted the time. He was right on time. A perfect chance to meet this Kouyama Mitsuki, and see how his favorite team Negi Ramen was faring.